NEW: Judge Sides With Trump, Blocks AP From Oval Office Briefings

Freedom of the press does not mean freedom to enter the Oval Office any time a reporter wants, a federal judge declared on Monday.

The ruling by US District Judge Trevor McFadden shot down a lawsuit brought by the Associated Press to regain access to the Oval Office and White House briefing room after the Trump administration rescinded its reporters’ credentials. The admonishment came after the outlet refused to acknowledge President Donald Trump’s executive order renaming the Gulf of Mexico to the “Gulf of America.”

Although the decision is not final and a hearing on a possible preliminary injunction will still take place on March 20th, Judge McFadden wrote that he was not persuaded by the AP’s suggestion that it would face “irreparable harm” if not allowed back into the White House immediately.

Any news organization “can get access to the same information” from pool reports, which are handed out to all members of the White House Correspondents’ Association even if they are not allowed into the rooms where the action is taking place, he wrote.

In addition, Judge McFadden cited a multi-day delay by the AP in bringing the suit as further evidence that it was not being unduly burdened in such a way as to necessitate a judicial intervention, according to CNN.

However, McFadden also questioned the White House’s reasoning for singling out the AP, calling the decision “discriminatory” and “problematic.” He cited the White House’s decision to respect the decadeslong practice of asking a single reporter to pool their coverage for all members of the WHCA.

“It feels a little odd that the White House is bound by certain decisions that this private organization is making,” he said, while the White House “has accepted the White House Correspondent Association’s ability to be the referee here.”

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the administration stands by its decision.

“As we have said from the beginning, asking the President of the United States questions in the Oval Office and aboard Air Force One is a privilege granted to journalists, not a legal right,” she said in a statement.

“We look forward to our next hearing on March 20 where we will continue to stand for the right of the press and the public to speak freely without government retaliation. This is a fundamental American freedom,” AP spokesperson Lauren Easton said in response to the decision.

Much of the AP’s lawsuit was based on First Amendment grounds, charging chief of staff Susie Wiles and deputy chief of staff Taylor Budowich with violating its due process protected under the Fifth Amendment. During a hearing, a lawyer for the AP mocked the Trump administration for attempting to enforce an “official government vocabulary” with its direction to include the phrase “Gulf of America” in all reporting about the executive order.

Brian Hudak, a Justice Department attorney representing the administration in the case, countered, saying, “The president can choose who to speak with.”

“As President Trumps’ lawyers, we are proud to fight to protect his leadership as our President and we are vigilant in standing against entities like the AP that refuse to put America first,” read a statement by Hudak and other attorneys for the president posted shortly after the initial hearing.

White House Communications Director Steven Cheung echoed criticisms of the AP at the time, mocking the outlet for “frivolous and demented” coverage and claiming it is “nothing more than a blatant PR stunt masquerading as a First Amendment case.”